Windows 10 for smartphones release date will be after the summer

Microsoft's Joe Belfiore on stage at the company's annual developer conference Build showing off Continuum for Phones for the first time(Reuters)

The version of Windows 10 which will run on smartphones will launch later than the main version of Microsoft's new operating system which is scheduled for release this summer.

Microsoft has not given a specific launch date for Windows 10 beyond "this summer" but a late July date is expected after AMD's CEO leaked the news during a earnings call recently.

Now Microsoft's Joe Belfiore has revealed some more information, confirming that the version of Windows 10 which will run on smartphone will launch after the main release.

At Microsoft's Build conference in San Francisco, Joe Belfiore said: "Our phone builds have not been as far along as our PC builds. We're adapting the phone experiences later than we're adding the PC experiences."

According to The Verge, Belfiore said Microsoft was focusing on PC first and foremost: "There are devices and features that will come not on launch date, but following it. From the device view, our main focus is to kick off the Windows 10 launch wave with a great launch on the PC. You should expect that the other devices — phone, HoloLens, Xbox, Surface Hub — will be staggered, probably not on the same date as the PC."

Preview

Microsoft's Windows 10 is a radical rethinking of its operating systems, and the same code base will run across a huge range of devices from mobile phones to laptops, tablets, desktops, Xbox, its HoloLens virtual reality headset and even internet of things devices.

Microsoft says is it still finalising plans for the final release of the software to the public and said it will continue to push updated through its Insider program which has been running since last year to give enthusiasts and early adopters an early look at the new features of the software.

The company is likely to launch Windows 10 without some expected features, with Belfiore saying that more features will come in the autumn.

The company has also released a preview of Windows 10 for phones but so far this preview is limited to only a few phones and doesn't have many of the expected features.